Gift Guide for the Home Cook
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Shopping for others can be challenging and stressful, especially if you don’t share similar hobbies! My husband loves to cook and most of the time I pay no attention to what he is doing, nor what he is using or wishing he had. Lucky for you, I asked Lucas to come up with his favorite gizmos and gadgets from the kitchen to share with all of you - and we think any home chef or aspiring home cook needs these and will love using them. Everything we have listed below is something we have use and love (or very similar to) and we think you all need them in your kitchen too!
20+ Gifts for the Home Cook (or Aspiring Chef!)
1 - digital Meat Thermometer
Upgrade their meat thermometer to a digital one that sends notifications to your phone. Perfect for grilling, we love and use the Weber iGrill 3. It has an app you can download so you can monitor your meat wirelessly. This is the perfect gift because you get perfectly cooked meat and your S.O. gets to watch the game more and check on the meat less. For in house cooking on the stove, we use the Weber 6750 Instant Read Meat Thermometer. This is simply a great tool every kitchen should have to double check your meat temps before serving.
2 - Manual Juicer
Grab them a handy citrus juicer. We use and love this simple manual stainless steel juicer. It is easy to clean and makes juicing fresh produce easy and less of a workout. This may seem like a simple or boring gift, and you may be right to some extent, but we promise this is the best juicer for the money and if you home cook uses much citrus then this item is a must!
3 - Chef’s Knife
Score them a Chef’s Knife. If they don’t already have one, and we’re talking something not from Walmart or Target, then get them one. If they have one, consider expanding to another size! There is literally nothing more sweet to a Chef than a pretty new knife and it’s something they will use with every meal. For us, we use and love the Zwilling Pro 7 inch Rocking Santoku Knife. It’s a great multi-purpose knife that’s not overly expensive.
4 - Wooden Cutting Board
Give them some love and get them a food-grammable wooden cutting board. We are talking something substantial that’s heavy, beautiful and completely functional. One may ask about cleaning or care, and it’s super simple. Just like other natural wood products, you just want to make sure and hand wash only, and once a month or so (whenever it looks a little dry) add some mineral oil (completely food safe and will rehydrate / seal the wood).
5 - Mixing Bowl Set
Update their mixing bowls. Like most home cooks or chefs, you’ve had the SAME mixing bowls since college (or maybe your wedding). We recently started using stainless steel mixing bowls with rubber bottoms and will never go back. They are so easy to clean, lightweight, and perfect for any application.
6 - Sous Vide
Give them a new challenge and get them a Sous Vide (it’s truly not challenging to use but they will feel like the chef equivalent to boujee). Sous Vide is an old technique that has been revived by modern cuisine. The proper name of the equipment is an Immersion Circulator that will bring a container of water to a determined temperature - literally a meat jacuzzi. This allows you to cook the perfect (and I mean perfect) medium rare steak or juicy (not dry) chicken breasts. We use and love the Anova Culinary AN500-US00 Sous Vide Precision Cooker with WiFi.
7 - Instapost
We love our 8 Qt Instapot. It cooks meat from frozen, replaces your crock pot, and can even make rice! Seriously, if they don’t have one they need one and you’ll have dinner ready in no time.
8 - Instapot Steam Diverter
Speaking of an Instapot, they will be sure to smile and think of you with one of these Instapot Steam Diverters. From dragons to minions to dinosaurs to former president Trump, you need to check these out.
9 - Drawer Dividers
Give the gift of organization with these handy drawer dividers. These are always something you wish you had, but don’t want to spend the money on.. which is why they make the perfect gift! Every time your home chef opens a drawer they will be subconsciously thanking you for knowing where the carrot peeler is.
10 - Unique Spices
Grab them some new and interesting spices. My husband LOVES to get some new spices to play with. Recently I got him some garlic finishing salt that he loves, and he has also gotten saffron and paprika (the really good kind) which he really enjoyed cooking with.
11 - Countertop Compost Bin
A countertop compost bin. Perfect for those who compost, or want to get into composting or vermicomposting). We like this style because it is big enough to hold a few days of scraps but not so big that you’ll forget to take it out often. PLUS if you do let it sit on the counter for an extra few days they come with a charcoal filter which will trap and stinky smells.
12 - Wooden Utensil Set
Update their utensils and snag some attractive wooden spoons or salad tongs. Wooden cooking utensils not only look good but are also great for sauces, pastas, and braises as they will not give any off taste to your food. They are also safe to be used on non-stick cookware!
13 - Vacuum Sealer
Meal prep or preserve your food with a vacuum sealer. It saves space AND helps your food last longer. Vacuum sealers are a must have for the modern kitchen. Great deal at the store? Buy in bulk, seal, and freeze for later. Cook a 17 lb turkey for 4 people? Seal and save some leftovers for a later date open face turkey sandwich. MUST HAVE. Pro tip - Look for a sealer with a “moist” or “wet” foods function in order to effectively marinate meat.
14 - Cooking Class
Give the gift of date night and purchase a cooking class at a local co-op or cooking store. Even for experienced home cooks it is a fun outing with a date or friends. Plus, you will probably learn something to take and utilize in your home.
15 - Pasta Machine
Expand their reach and gift a Pasta Machine. After our trip to Italy a few years back we fell in love with the idea of fresh pasta. Now, not the easiest thing to master in the world but it’s a fun way to get in the kitchen and play with something new. The joy of cooking is the journey along the way and trying fun things in the kitchen; making handmade pasta is sure to bring that joy.
16 - Le Creuset
Upgrade their cookware and get them a Le Creuset or any high quality, ceramic coated, cast iron cookware! As the gift giver, you will definitely be rewarded for this. Le Creuset will last forever, are easy to clean, and cook far superior to than the cheap box store stuff. Trust me on this one because anything from this French brand is sure exceed expectations.
17 - Mini Le Creuset
Thinking of Le Creusets, how about these adorable Mini Le Creuset (perfect for desserts or roasting garlic). There is definitely something elevated about serving your dinner guests dessert in an individual container. Our personal favorite, we use them for roasting garlic cloves in oil to make the most amazing garlic spread. And, if you need another reason they are just really cute!
18 - Beeswax Wraps and Silicon Bags
Go green and give some handy Beeswax Wraps and reusable zip top, Silicon Bags. Plastic is definitely a problem in this day and age, but it is not something we often think about until we are made aware of it. We used to go through a gross amount of zip top bags and plastic wrap before we got these for a gift and it became o so apparent how wasteful a kitchen can be. Do something nice for your loved one and the environment with either of these great eco-friendly gifts.
19 - Cookbook
Give the gift of new perspective with one of our favorite Cookbooks. You may not see your home chef reading them often but they are a gateway to new and exciting ideas for the kitchen. Anytime that I am in a cooking rut, I go directly to my cookbook collection to find something new to reinvigorate me.
20 - A Personalized Gift
Finally, but not unimportant, give something personalized. We love shopping Etsy for unique or personalized items for the kitchen. Turning a kitchen in to something personal feels great and usually garners inspiration! Etsy has everything from personalized spoons, to aprons to tea towels.
Roasted Garlic using a mini Le Creuset
We hope this gift guide helps you find a perfect gift for your loved one or friends who love the kitchen as much as we do! We hope you let us know what they think!
-Beth & Lucas
